My Darling Dear
by chalantness
Summary: Prompt #56: ring. Valentine's Day fluff: She smiles and spreads her fingers out, examining it. She looks perfectly content, but he still promises to get her a real ring next time.


**Title: **_My Darling Dear  
><em>**Rating:** K+ or T  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 3,000+  
><strong>Characters:<strong> Dick/Zatanna with mentions of various other couples  
><strong>Summary:<strong> She smiles and spreads her fingers out, examining it. She looks perfectly content, but he still promises to get her a real ring next time.  
><strong>Prompt:<strong> #56: ring  
><strong>Other Inspirations:<strong> written for Valentine's Day

**Notes:** _I_ know what I like and don't like about this, but whether or not _you_ like it is obviously up to you. It's not my best work at all, but I ditched homework to write this, so I'm posting it.

* * *

><p><strong>My Darling Dear<strong>

* * *

><p>Bruce takes him to see Zatara's magic show. He says it's clandestine League business, but it's February 14th and while Dick may only be nine years old and has only lived in the Wayne Mansion for a few months now, he knows his adoptive father was just looking for an excuse to drop his playboy billionaire façade and ditch having to make Valentine's Day plans.<p>

Once the place is cleared out after it's over, Bruce holds his hand as they make their way backstage and Zatara greets them outside his dressing room with his hat off and a girl standing behind his legs.

"This is my daughter, Zatanna."

She smiles a little and gives a faint, "Nice to meet you," her dark hair falling into her blue eyes when she sticks her hand out.

He shakes it and flashes a smile as Bruce is introducing him. Her eyes twinkle a little when he tells her to call him by his nickname, not _Richard_, and when their dads tell them to sit on the couch and keep the door locked because they'll be talking in the next room, they do as they're told and bond over their freakish backgrounds (her family's magic business and his circus life) and laugh at the same things.

She tells him that her mommy died when she was very young and that she knows that this day is hard on her daddy because it celebrates love and he misses her very much, and Dick nods because he understands and hands her the handkerchief from his blazer pocket.

"Do you have a Valentine?" she asks once her sniffling is mostly gone.

He just looks at her.

"My daddy says a Valentine is like a special someone," she goes on, kicking her dangling legs. "My mommy used to be his, but now he says _I'm_ his Valentine."

Dick looks thoughtfully into the air a bit. No, he supposes he _doesn't_ have one.

She frowns when he tells her this. "That's not good," she tells him. "_I'll_ be your Valentine, then."

"But your Zatara's Valentine," he reminds.

"Well, yeah, but he's my daddy! It's not the same," she giggles like he's silly, and he smiles and nods because he thinks that makes a little bit of sense. (It doesn't, really, but she looks happy and that makes him feel all warm and nice inside.) "Usually you get your Valentine something, but since it's already late, it's okay."

He shakes his head. "I should still get you something," he insists, and then looks around the room. When he sees a plastic rose sitting amongst some other props, he walks over to it and plucks it off of the desk, and she giggles when he sits back on the couch and hands it to her. Then he takes his handkerchief and rips a thin part of it off and tells her to stick her hand out.

"What for?"

"Just do it," he says, and when she does, he wraps it around the base of her pinkie finger a few times before tying it into a bow. "There." She smiles and spreads her fingers out, examining it. She looks perfectly content, but he still promises to get her a real ring next time.

(Alfred scolds him for ruining nice silk, but Zatanna gave him a little peck on his cheek and he thinks that makes it worth getting in trouble.)

... ...

It takes a few years before he sees her next.

He's on the Team and she's sort-of unofficially on it, too, because her father let's her hang out sometimes and join a few missions here or there. Considering how she acted when they first "met," she obviously doesn't connect that Richard Grayson is also Robin and he likes to have fun with this fact.

Come Valentine's Day, the Cave is decorated in pink, red, and white courtesy of M'gann and the mood is kind of infectious. They're entertaining the girl's love (obsession) of Earth customs by throwing a party and everyone agreed to help set up, which is why he's standing at the bottom of the ladder while Zatanna is hanging up streamers and balloons.

"You better not try to knock me off this ladder just so you can catch me," she warns him, glaring playfully.

He holds his hands up and steps away, and then laughs when the ladders shifts and she gives this little yelp and he has to steady it again.

"For the record," he informs as she's making her way down, "I didn't plan that."

"_Sure_."

He grins and holds out his hand, and she rolls her eyes but takes it anyway, squeezing slightly as she jumps over last few steps and lands onto her feet. He shrugs when she thanks him and then steps aside, following as she walks past him and back into the kitchen.

"So," he begins, grabbing a heart-shaped cookie from the platter (they're supposed to be for later, but whatever, he's hungry) and breaking it in half, "Have a Valentine?"

She gives an amused smile with one eyebrow raised, and then shrugs her shoulders. "Does my dad count?"

"No," he laughs.

"What about you, Boy Wonder?"

He smiles. "I shared this cheesecake in my school's dining hall during lunch with a girl I know," he informs. "Does _that_ count?"

She bites her lower lip and he meant to be teasing, but finds himself stupidly regretting trying to bring Barbara up in the first place because she looks like she's fighting a frown. "Yeah, I guess so."

"I'm joking, Zatanna," he tells her. "Barbara's a really good friend, but she's not… No, I don't have a Valentine." He grins again as she reaches for a cookie. "I've never really had a Valentine before, other than this one girl from when I was, like, nine. I gave her this plastic rose a ring." She kind of pauses with her cookie almost touching her lips, and he throws up an eyebrow. "What?"

She blinks a few times then shakes her head. "Nothing… It's probably nothing."

He fights off a smirk, "Alright." She takes a bite and chews, distracted. "What about you? Have _you_ ever really had a Valentine before?"

"No, not really," she admits. "There was only this one boy when I was… nine…" She trails off, distracted again, and then looks at him. "But he was all."

"Well that's not good. _I'll_ be your Valentine."

"Rob, you don't have to—"

"But I _want _to. And I promised," he insists, and her eyebrows pull together like she's trying to remember when. He smiles wider and sticks out a rose from the vase beside them, watching the way her eyes widen a bit and this faint recognitionflashes behind her eyes. "One more thing," he adds, and as he's reaching into his utility belt, his smile grows and he tells her, "Stick your hand out."

She pulls her eyebrows together but doesn't say anything as does what she's told.

He slips the silver band onto her pinkie and she spreads her fingers out like she did last time and stares at the bow detail on it. He can practically see the wheels racing in her head.

"Robin," she breathes.

"Took a few years, but I _did_ say I was going to get you a real one."

He knows she's a smart girl, so when her eyes get all wide and she exhales suddenly and gives him this _look_, he knows she's got it, or pretty much gets it.

She reaches out and places her hand on his cheek, fingers grazing the edges of his mask, and runs the pad of her thumb over his skin. "Dick?" she asks quietly, hesitantly, and he flashes a smile and laughs at the way her face lights up and she throws her arms around him and squeezes tightly.

(She gives him a peck like last time, too, except this time it's on his lips instead of his cheek.)

... ...

It's so freezing cold outside that his cheeks are chapped by the wind and he can't feel his fingers or toes.

Today sucks.

It's not even because of anything that actually happened _today_, either. It's just that Bruce announced his engagement to Selina Kyle at the end of last month, and since Dick has never been particularly fond of her, it caused strain between the three. And just over the weekend, his non-relationship with Barbara went up in flames over stupid arguments that they thought they could get over but really couldn't.

So now he's single and alone on Valentine's Day. Which brings him back to thinking that today just really, really sucks.

And he wants to feel happy. He _really_ does.

Today's the day he knows that Artemis is going to tell Wally he's pregnant (the dude has been as subtle as a train wreck about wanting a kid), and M'gann is coming back with J'onn from Mars and will be reunited with Conner after nearly a month of being gone, and Kaldur is popping the question on Donna.

He knows Valentine's Day isn't usually something terrible. But _his_ Valentine's Day?

Yeah, pretty awful.

And he went donned his Nightwing costume and went on patrol because he needed a way to take out his frustrations and knocking out criminals seemed like a pretty good idea. He didn't expect anyone to find him, either, let alone know there was any reason _to_ come looking for him, which is why he may have wielded his Escrima Sticks when he felt someone else with him on that rooftop.

Zatanna cracks a smile. "That's one hell of a greeting." He relaxes from his defensive stance, attempts at a laugh. "What are _you_ doing on patrol?"

"I could ask you the same thing," he retorts. She shrugs. "Sorry. I just… It's been a rough week… _few weeks_."

She nods like she understands. He's pretty sure Donna's been keeping her updated. She's not one to gossip or go behind people's backs like that, but she and Zatanna are two of his closest friends and it's just what you do when you're concerned. If something were to happen to Wally or Kaldur, he'd want to keep them informed, too.

"How did you know where to find me?" he asks just to break the silence. It's never, ever quiet or weird like this between them and he doesn't want it to start to be.

"I like to think I know you better than you think," she chuckles, walking up to him. She places a hand on his cheek and pushes her fingers into his hair while her thumb traces edge of his cowl, like she always does. He kind of loves it. "Stupid question, but how are you?"

"Stupid answer," he replies, "but feeling kind of bad."

She smiles sadly. "That's not a stupid answer. I know it's been hard on you lately. I get it."

He closes his eyes, leans into her palm. He _knows_ she gets it. She always has.

"I know you probably want to forget about today," she continues, "but it _is_ Valentine's Day, and if the spot's still available, you know I'm always willing to be your Valentine."

He chuckles faintly and takes her hand in his. "But I was so distracted lately that I didn't even get you anything," he points out. "I _always_ get you something. Honestly, it's one of the reasons why Barbara was so jealous of you, _and_ Donna."

"You don't have to," she assures. "Just come with me to grab a really late dinner."

When she winks at him and tosses herself off of the rooftop, he doesn't hesitate to follow and it's the first time in what feels like forever that he actually smiles. After they hit the streets and Zatanna spells them into clothes formal enough for a casual outing on this particularly holiday, he puts an arm around her shoulder while they're walking down the blocks and lets her tell him about their friends' plans.

On their way to a restaurant, he pulls her into a convenience store and buys her a chocolate rose and a capsule from a gumball machine with a plastic ring inside.

"It's kind of our thing," he says as he slips it on, and she's laughing and spreading out her fingers to examine it.

"I love it."

(After dinner, she comes over to his apartment they crawl into bed, his arm underneath her head and her hand on his chest, and just talk in the darkness well past midnight. He ends up promising to talk things out with Bruce and Barbara and Selina, and then feels her press her lips to his neck and mumble, "goodnight," when he thinks she's already asleep.

Today didn't end up sucking like he thought it would.)

... ...

They've been dating for a few months now and it'd surprise him how easy it is to be with her if it hasn't always been that way, but it _has_.

And really, they've been unofficial for a lot longer than they've been official, even before they knew it themselves. She lives in his apartment and wears the promise ring that he gave her on her fourth finger and let reporters at the Wayne Tech Foundation Christmas Gala call her his fiancé all night long, so.

Anyway, when he meets her for lunch at their favorite little café uptown, he puts a hand on her waist and gives her a kiss. It's little longer and harder than he should in public, but whatever.

"How's the wedding coming along?" he asks once they're seated. "Is the bride giving you a hard time?"

"Yeah, right!" Zatanna laughs. "You know as well as I do that Donna doesn't have a bad bone in that gorgeous body of hers."

He flashes a smile.

"The only trouble we've run into so far is finding a photographer," she goes on, and yeah, he can see the problem. It's not at all like Donna to be a Bridezilla, but considering how the woman takes photography for a living (aside from the heroism, of course) he understands why she'd be picky.

"You guys will figure something out," he says. "Are you enjoying yourselves, at least?"

She bites her lower lip and smiles guiltily. "I was kind of hesitant when Donna asked me to help her plan it, but it's actually kind of fun."

"That's good," he says, "so I know you'll have fun planning ours. I'll definitely help when you need it, of course, but you know…"

She laughs at first, and then his smile grows as her laughter dies down almost instantly and her eyes get kind of wide as she's looking at him, like his words are only now registering. He gets a bit of a smirk as he clears his throat a little, and their waiter walks over and places his small cheesecake with frosting rose on top and _'Will you marry me?'_ drizzled in chocolate.

He stands from his seat and thinks he hears the restaurant chatter die down as he gets on one knee, but he's too focused on the way Zatanna's breathing quickly and staring at him to be sure.

He pulls out a Tiffany blue box from his pocket and already knows by the look on her face what the answer is, but he goes on, anyway. "I was thinking that maybe those reporters on Christmas Eve could be right for once," he tells her, and she lets out this breathless laugh. "Zatanna, would you—"

She slants her lips over his before he can finish, though, but the whole restaurant is laughing and cheering and he's making out with his fiancé on the floor, so he figures that's okay.

(When they finally get around to eating the cake, she feeds the frosting rose to him off of her fingers while they're in bed, her ring twinkling under the dim lighting. He doesn't think they'll sleep tonight.)

... ...

The kitchen is pretty much a disaster.

Maria wanted to make cupcakes to bring for everyone at Grandpa and Grandma's, so she and Zatanna spent the last hour and a half with her mother frosting and sprinkling them. He'll probably have to help clean it later (because he's almost entirely sure their five-year-old daughter won't be doing it) but right now, they have to head over to the Mansion soon for Bruce and Selina's brunch.

When they're about to leave, Zatanna is standing in the foyer in front of the mirror on the wall and trying to fasten in her earring, and Dick figures now's as good a time as ever.

"Do you have our present for Momma?" he asks. Maria nods, bouncing excitedly on the balls of her feet. "Let's give it to her."

He knows Zatanna can see them through the reflection, so he winks at her as their daughter runs down the hallway to her room. Maria runs back a few seconds later, and Dick scoops her into his arms and smiles widely as she sticks out her hand, "Happy Valentine's Day, Momma! It's from the both of us!"

The rose is made of green pipe cleaner and tissue paper with glitter—which may or may not be a craft idea he Googled the night before—and there's a beaded ring tied to the stem by a small ribbon.

Zatanna's eyes water a little as she breathes, "It's so pretty," and takes the flower between her fingers, pretending to sniff it. Then she undoes the bow and slips the ring onto her finger, just above her wedding band, and kisses Maria's forehead. "Happy Valentine's Day, sweetheart," she tells her, and ducks her head a little so the girl can tuck the flower behind her ear.

"Perfect," Dick says, and Zatanna looks at him and laughs a little before pressing their lips together. "Happy Valentine's Day."

(He'll find out later when they're toasting with champagne that she's pregnant, and when he picks her up by her waist and twirls her in the air, he thinks this may be his favorite holiday.)


End file.
